New Delhi [India], August 5 : Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the Modi government "has accepted" that CISF personnel were deployed in the Rajya Sabha last week and said whatever name is used for their presence in the House, "it is an insult to Parliament".
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh targeted the government and said Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was right in asking if Union Home Minister Amit Shah has "taken over control of the Council of States".
"So finally the Modi Govt has accepted today that CISF personnel were indeed deployed in the Rajya Sabha last week to prevent Opposition MPs from exercising their democratic right of protest. You can call them by whatever name but the fact remains that they were all from the CISF," Jairam Ramesh said.
"This is an insult to Parliament and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha was right in asking today whether the Union Home Minister has taken over control of the Council of States," he added.
Jairam Ramesh also attached the letter that Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun wrote to Deputy Chairman Harivansh.
Kharge said in his letter that he was writing on behalf of all Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha.
"We are astonished and shocked at the manner in which CISF personnel are made to run into the well of the House when the Members are exercising their democratic right of protest. We saw this yesterday and we saw this today as well. Has our Parliament being reduced to such a level? This is most objectionable and we condemn it unequivocally," he said.
"We expect that in future CISF personnel will not come trooping in the well of the House when Members are raising important issues of public concern," he added.
The issue figured in Rajya Sabha today and the Deputy Chairman Harivansh said that the communication between the Chair and LoP is "privileged" but it came in the media.
Harivansh cited Nehru as saying that Parliament does set an example to the rest of the country and there is great responsibility on the members not to do anything that brings the slightest discredit on Parliament.
The Deputy Chairman gave a detailed ruling against disruption in the House. He cited previous rulings to state that actions of EC cannot be discussed and subjudice matter cannot be taken up in the House. He also cited Vithalbhai Patel, the then president of the Central Legislative Assembly.
Amid noisy scenes in Rajya Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju refuted Kharge's allegations that CISF was brought to the House. "Only marshals can come to the House," he said. He alleged that Kharge had misled the House and written "a wrong letter" to the Deputy Chairman. He said members of the opposition are levelling wrong allegations in the media that the military, CISF, and Police had been brought to the House.
Responding to Rijiju's remarks, Kharge said he is not my leader, you (chair) is. He cited Arun Jaitley, who had said that disruption can be used as a weapon of last resort if the government seeks to avoid parliamentary accountability.
Health Minister JP Nadda, who is Leader of the House, hailed the Chair's ruling, terming it historic. He said disruptions are against rules of the House and there are democratic ways of protest.
Nadda said he had been in opposition for 40 years. "Take some tuition from me. You have been in opposition only for 10 years, you will be there for another 30-40 years," he said. To the opposition members citing Arun Jaitley, he said there are several ways of protest.
Nadda said oppostition members cannot come to close to ruling party member to obstruct him from speaking. "This is anarchism," he said.
Nadda said any security person who comes to the House with the permission of the Chair, he is marshal, not member of any security force.